This surah presents us with something very clear even before we look at any of the specific ideas it tackles. It is a symphony ringing out clear, strong beats coupled with an air of calm sadness and reflective sorrow.

Consistent with this phenomenon are the images and scenes the surah portrays and the inspiring statements it includes, particularly in its last passage after the jinn concluded their discourse. In this last part, the surah addresses the Prophet in a way that fills the listener with much sympathy. He is commanded to declare that he looks for nothing in respect of his message other than delivering it, and that he is closely watched by God as he goes about this task: “Say: 7 invoke my Lord alone, and I associate no partners with Him. 'Say: It is not in my power to cause you harm or to set you on the right course. 'Say: ‘No one can ever protect me from God, nor can I ever find a place to hide from Him. My task is only to deliver what I receive from God and His messages.' Whoever disobeys God and His Messenger will have the fire of hell, where they will abide for ever. When they see what they have been promised, they will realize who has the lesser help and is smaller in number. Say: ‘I do not know whether that which you have been promised is imminent, or whether my Lord has set for it a distant term. He alone knows that which is beyond the reach of human perception, and He does not disclose His secrets to anyone except to a messenger whom He has been pleased to choose. He then sends watchers to walk before and behind him, to know that they have delivered their Lord's messages. He has full knowledge of all they have. He takes count of everything! (Verses 20-28)

In addition, the surah delivers a special and psychological effect in its lucid presentation of what thej7»n said and the truth included in their account. This truth is of great significance, inviting much reflection and contemplation. It also suits the sad overtone evident in the surah's rhythm. It only needs to be read rather slowly to impart the feeling we have just outlined.

The surah presents a testimony to the truth of many aspects of the divine faith from a different world, a world beyond that of man.

These aspects were the subject of much argument by the unbelievers who either denied them or who arrived at assumptions lacking any supporting evidence. The unbelievers in Makkah sometimes alleged that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was in contact with the who taught him what to say about faith. Now, a group of the jinn give their testimony, stating that they did not know anything about the Qur’an until they listened to Muhammad (peace be upon him) reciting it, and that they were then overwhelmed by its powerful truth. In fact, its effect on them was so profound that they could not remain silent. They had to speak in detail about what they had heard and felt. Their discourse reflects their total amazement at this great event with its lasting effects on the heavens, the earth, humans, jinn, angels and stars. Indeed, its effects cover the entire universe. Their testimony undoubtedly has a strong effect on man too.

Moreover, the jinn's statement corrects many aspects of superstition upheld by those addressed by the surah for the first time, and by many other people across successive generations. It presents clear facts about this type of God’s creatures, without any exaggeration. The Arabs who were the first to be addressed by the Qur’an believed that the jinn exercised much power on earth. When an Arab found himself at night in a valley or an open plain, he would seek shelter with the jinnee of that place, saying: “I seek shelter with the master of this valley against the designs of the wicked elements among his people.” When he had said so, he could then sleep in peace. They also believed that the jinn had knowledge of ghayb, or what lies beyond the reach of human perception.

They would give information to soothsayers who would then make predictions. Some Arabs worshipped the jinn, alleging that they were related to God. Some suggested that God had a wife from among the jinn and that she gave birth to angels.

Belief in the jinn on lines similar to these is widespread in d\jahiliyyah societies. Indeed, some legends and superstitions about them continue to be spread in different environments, even in the present day.

While such superstitions used to circulate widely, giving people different ideas and concepts about them, there were also other people who denied their existence altogether. They described any talk about the jinn as superstitious. Therefore, Islam sets the record straight. It confirms their existence and corrects wrong ideas about them, freeing people from the shackles of fear about the jinn and submission to their alleged authority.

The jinn do exist. They describe themselves in this silrah in the following words: “Some among us are righteous and others less so: we follow widely divergent paths.” (Verse 11) Some go astray and lead people astray, while others are naive and can easily be deceived: “Some foolish ones among us have been saying some outrageous things about God. Yet we had thought that no man or jinn would ever utter a lie about God.” (Verses 4-5) They are susceptible to divine guidance, able to listen to the Qur’an, understand it and be affected by it: “Say: It has been revealed to me that a group of the jinn listened in and then said: ‘We have heard a wondrous discourse, giving guidance to what is sagacious, and we have come to believe in it. We shall never associate partners with our Lord” (Verses 1-2) By their nature, they can be punished, and the results of belief and unbelief can affect them: “When we heard the guidance, we came to believe in it. Whoever believes in his Lord need never fear loss or injustice. Some of us submit to Him and others are unfair. Those who submit to God are the ones who have endeavoured to attain what is right.

This surah contributes significantly to the formulation of the Islamic concept of the truth of the Godhead and servitude to Him, as well as the truth of the universe, the creatures living in it and their interrelations.

In the jinns account we have confirmation of Gods oneness, a negation of His having a spouse or a son, affirmation of reckoning and requital in the life to come, and the fact that no creature can ever escape God anywhere in the universe. All will receive their fair dues.

Some of the facts clearly stated by the jinn are then repeated in the part of the surah that addresses the Prophet: “Say: 7 invoke my Lord alone, and I associate no partners with Him.”’ (Verse 20) “Say: No one can ever protect me from God, nor can I ever find a place to hide from Him” (Verse 22)

The jinn's account asserts that Godhead belongs only to God, and that servitude to Him is the highest status people can attain: “Yet when God's servant stood up to pray to Him, they pressed in on him in multitude.” (Verse 19) The surah confirms this truth in its address to the Prophet: “Say: It is not in my power to cause you harm or to set you on the right course” (Verse 21) The world beyond our perception belongs totally to God alone, and the jinn know nothing about it: “ We do not know if this bodes evil for those who live on earth, or if their Lord intends to guide them to what is right” (Verse 10) It is also unknown to God’s messengers, apart from what God, in His infinite wisdom, chooses to inform them of: “Say: I do not know whether that which you have been promised is imminent, or whether my Lord has set for it a distant term. He alone knows that which is beyond the reach of human perception, and He does not disclose His secrets to anyone except to a messenger whom He has been pleased to choose. He then sends watchers to walk before and behind him.” (Verses 25-27)

We learn from this surah that some interaction may take place between different types of creatures even though they may have totally different natures and constitutions. An example of such interaction is what hap pens between man and the jinn, as mentioned in this surah as elsewhere in the Qur’an. Even in his abode on earth, man is not isolated from other creation. He may have some interaction with them. The isolation man feels, as a species or a community or an individual, does not apply to the nature of the universe. This idea should broaden mans feelings towards the universe and the creatures, forces and secrets it contains. Man may not be aware of these, but they exist in the world around him. He is not the only dweller in the universe as he sometimes imagines.

Moreover, there is a definite causal relation between peoples following the right way and the operation of some forces in the universe, according to God’s will and its effect on His creatures: “Had they established themselves on the right way. We would have given them abundant water to drink, so as to test them by this means. Anyone who turns away from his Lord's revelation will be made to endure uphill suffering” (Verses 16—17)

There are a number of different reports about the jinn listening to the Qur’an. One quotes ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas as saying: “God’s Messenger did not read the Qur’an to the jinn, nor did he see them. What took place was that the Prophet and a group of his Companions once went to the ‘Ukaz market place. The jinn had previously been barred from trying to reach heaven to eavesdrop and were struck by shooting stars.

They went back to their people and told them what happened. They said:

‘Something must have happened to prevent you from learning anything from heaven. Go in pursuit of information throughout the earth to find out what has happened. They went in groups, travelling east and west throughout the earth. The group that went to Tihamah drew close to the Prophet when he was in the Nakhlah Valley, going to ‘Ukaz. He was leading his Companions in the Fajr, or Dawn, Prayer. They listened to him reciting the Qur’an. When he finished his recitation, they said to each other: ‘This is indeed what happened to cause you to be barred from learning news from on high.’ They went back to their people and told them: ‘ We have heard a wondrous discourse, giving guidance to what is sagacious, and we have come to believe in it. We shall never associate partners with our Lord! God then revealed the surah, The Jinn, to the Prophet speaking of this event.” [Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.] Another report mentions that 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud gave the following answer to the question about whether any of the Prophets Companions were present with him when he met the jinn: “None of us were present. However, we were with him one night when he went missing. We looked for him everywhere, in valleys and on the paths, but could not find him. Some of us thought that he might have been taken or even killed. That was our worst night. In the morning, we saw him coming to us from the direction of Hira’. We said: ‘Messenger of God! We missed you and looked for you everywhere but could not find you.

We had such a bad night.’ He said: A caller from the jinn came to me and so I went and read the Qur’an to them.’ He took us to the place and showed us their traces and the remains of the fires they lit. They asked him for food. He said: ‘Every bone of an animal slaughtered under God’s name will be in your hands full of meat; and all animal droppings will be wholesome feed for your animals.’ The Prophet then said to us:

‘Do not use these to wipe off your personal dirt, because they are food for your brethren’.” [Related by Muslim.] There is a third report also attributed to Ibn Mas'ud, but the chain of transmission of the one we have quoted makes it more reliable. We will, therefore, leave this and similar reports aside. The two authentic reports we have quoted seem to be mutually contradictory. Ibn 'Abbas says that the Prophet did not know of the jinn's presence when they listened to him reading the Qur’an, while Ibn Mas'ud says that they called upon the Prophet and he went with them. Al-Bayhaqi resolves this apparent contradiction by saying that the two reports speak of two different occasions, not just one.